FTC Disclosure: This fun event and this blog post have been sponsored by Central Arkansas McDonald’s and Oriental Trading Company. All thoughts are my own.
It’s Fall, yall! *happy dance*
I know it’s technically been Fall for a while, but here in Arkansas, you never know if it’s going to be 90 degrees all the way through October. I, for one, can’t tolerate summer. The smothering heat. The mosquitoes. Ugh! It’s the worst!
I live for Fall!
I love the crisp, cool air. I love the way the leaves change colors and make the whole world look like a painting. I also love the foods and beverages that come back in full force during the Fall. Soup, apple cider, and peppermint mocha everything! Plus, I can finally drink a steaming cup of coffee at any time of day without people looking at me like I’m crazy (two thumbs up for Caramel Macchiato Lattes).
What I also love is the abundance of creative inspiration. Between the season changes and the many holidays between October and the New Year, there are so many fun arts and crafts activities you can dive into.
My son and I recently got into the crafting mood – and brought along a bunch of his friends for the ride. We hosted a Halloween Arts and Crafts Party at the park and the kids loved it! The parents also enjoyed getting together to catch up after not seeing each other as much over the summer.
When planning the shindig, I knew there were three things we needed.
Friends. Fun. Food.
We had the first two all set and ready to go. The only thing I needed to take care of was the food.
Usually, I would grab some cookies and chips and call it a day. But I wanted to surprise the kids with something I knew they would love.
McDonald’s!
I mean, I knew for a fact that they all love cheeseburgers and fries because we have had many playdates at the McDonald’s PlayPlace.
So, a little bit before the party, I stopped by our local McDonald’s and ordered enough Happy Meals for all of the kids to chow down. I also bought 3 orders of cookies (you get 3 gooey cookies for just $1!)
As expected, they were thrilled!
Not only is McDonald’s a safe bet for any kiddie get-together, it’s also easy to save money. Between their in-store promotions and the many awesome deals on the McDonald’s app, you’re sure to find a special that makes your wallet happy (as well as your tummy). For example, as I write this post, the McDonald’s app is offering $1 McDouble or McChicken, BOGO Happy Meal, BOGO Large Fries, and $1 Small Caramel Macchiato. I also highly recommend to receive all sorts of updates and promotions straight in your inbox.
After filling our bellies, we got down to crafting. I brought along a variety of Halloween crafting kits from Oriental Trading Company. The ones we got were the Halloween Mask Craft Kit, the Flowerpot Ghost Craft Kit, the Funny Halloween Face Magnets Kit, the Halloween Character Bookmark Craft Kit, the Monster Vision Glasses Craft Kit, the Green Monster Bride Earring Craft Kit, the Skull and Bones Earring Craft Kit, and the HaloweenChar Bracelet Craft Kit.
The kids enjoyed the activities. Some were sticklers for directions. Others took more creative liberties with their projects. But they all went home with Color Your Own Halloween Bags stuffed with their masterpieces as well as any crafts they didn’t finish during the party.
All of the kids also went home with little party favor bags that Christian and I put together. The whole party was a hit!
Just a few notes for anyone who is planning a holiday crafting party:
- Take some time before the party to put together one of each craft. That way the kids have an idea of what the finished product should look like AND you know whether or not you need to bring any tools. I did NOT do this, so there were some projects that we couldn’t do (the Flowerpot Ghost Craft required glue and the Color Your Own Halloween Bags required markers or crayons) or that were more difficult to do (the earrings required needlenose pliers).
- Instead of having all of the kits out on the table at the same time, only have one at a time on there. Especially if there will be a lot of kids. Pieces WILL get mixed up. Also, space the kids out to prevent too much mixing of supplies.
- If you want really great crafts on hand, head to Oriental Trading Company’s Halloween Headquarters. They guarantee next-day delivery if you order by noon on October 27th!
Our Halloween crafting party was a success! Now the next thing on our Halloween to-do list is going trick-or-treating. We already have our costumes! Check out our costumes.
How do you guys celebrate Halloween (if you do at all)? Let me know in the comments below.
